Dubai Tests First Flying Taxis, Leaves Western Countries Eating Sand

While western countries might like to boast having advanced technological industries, nations in the middle east seem to be giving them a run for their money. For example, Dubai is implementing some huge innovations in several sectors, including robot police and firefighters with jetpacks. Now, the popular destination for the rich and famous can add the first successful test of an unmanned flying taxi on its list of achievements.

In the press release discussing the test for the flying cab, the exhibition was actually part of a ceremony for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai. Based on his comments, it seems the prince is quite pleased with the results.

“After the remarkable success of the first driverless metro in the region, we are glad to witness today the test flight of the Autonomous Air Taxi,” Sheikh Hamdan said. “This is another testament to our commitment to driving positive change. We are constantly exploring opportunities to serve the community and advance the prosperity and happiness of society.”

The taxi drone is the work of German UAV maker Volocopter. It seats only two passengers and flies much like a helicopter propelled by eight rotors. It would seem that the vehicle is capable of flying by itself for up to 30 minutes. This makes it suitable for short-distance trips such as going from the airport to a hotel and vice versa.

To ensure safety, Volocopter also installed a number of emergency protocols in the vehicle, Futurism reports. These include parachutes, extra batteries, and even extra rotors.

As to what Dubai and the maker of the drone taxi hope to do with the unit, the ultimate goal is to create a business much like Uber. The idea is to allow customers to simply bring up an app on their mobile devices and call a flying taxi, which will then fly over from what the company calls a “voloport.”